


Puzzle Pieces

by TechnoSkittles



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Guns, Major character death - Freeform, Multiple Pairings, Not Incest, One Shot Collection, Only in chapter 9 though, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other, Strawberry Sunrise - Freeform, old fic just moving it to this account
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-20 20:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2442368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TechnoSkittles/pseuds/TechnoSkittles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes every piece, from the easiest to the most frustrating, to complete the bigger, beautiful picture. [Drabble series] Ch. 14: The One that makes me Laugh; Mechanical Rose</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Glasses - White Rose

 “Do you promise not to laugh?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Do you _swear_?”

“Ruby…”

“Swear on your life!”

“Ruby, it can’t be that bad!”

“You didn’t swear!”

Weiss groaned loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose. “ _Fine_. I swear on my life, okay?”

Even with the heiress’ reassurance, Ruby hesitated. “Cross your heart and hope to-“

“ _Ruby!_ ”

“Okay fine!” Ruby walked over to her desk and opened one of the drawers, digging through its contents. Curious, Weiss tried to peek over her shoulder but was effectively shut out due to her short stature. So instead she crossed her arms, patiently waiting for whatever Ruby wanted to show her. It startled her when Ruby suddenly whipped around, a pout present on her pink lips (how did they taste today, she wondered).

“Remember! You promised!”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m aware. Now will you just show me?”

Ruby grumbled and turned back around, pulling something from the drawer and bringing it up to her face. Weiss rose a single eyebrow in confusion and curiosity, wondering just what was going on that had Ruby worked up all of a sudden, before Ruby turned to face her again.

She cracked a smile.

Seeing this, Ruby shouted, “You promised!”

Weiss quickly composed herself, pulling her shoulders back and straightening her posture as she pressed her lips into a fine line, trying to hide her smile. “I know I did. I’m not laughing, am I?”

Ruby pouted and dropped down onto her bed, crossing her arms as she frowned up at the heiress. “Yes you are! I can see it; you’re laughing at me!” She slumped forward and hung her head. “I knew I shouldn’t have showed you.”

The giddiness immediately dissipated and Weiss rushed forward to take a seat on the bed and throw her arms around her girlfriend. “Hey now, I said I wasn’t laughing at you. Rather I’m laughing at how self-conscious you’re acting about this.” She took Ruby’s chin and pulled so that she was facing her, their faces so close that Weiss could see herself clearly reflected in the thick-rimmed glasses that her girlfriend donned. “I think you look cute.”

A steady trail of pink dusted Ruby’s cheeks and she fidgeted under Weiss’ intense gaze. “Y-you really think so?”

Weiss nodded. “Mhmm. You know I don’t hand out compliments for the sake of it. I mean it, Ruby. You look adorable.” Her blush intensified and the pale-haired teen took advantage of Ruby’s combined silence and embarrassment to lean in and capture her lips in a soft and gentle kiss. Soft lips responded immediately against her own and Weiss took that as an invitation to poke out her tongue to lick Ruby’s bottom lip.

Strawberries.

Today they tasted like strawberries.

 


	2. Boo-Boos - White Rose

Weiss was getting ready to cook breakfast (a perfect opportunity since Theo was still asleep and out of her hair) when the front door creaked open and clicked shut a moment after. Heavy footsteps trailed to the kitchen and she looked up in time to see her wife standing there, her drawstring bag clutched in her hand, dirt staining where it had been dragged across the ground. Weiss returned Ruby’s blinding grin and ran to her, throwing herself into her arms. Ruby dropped her bag just in time to catch her, taking a step back to account for the sudden new weight.

“Welcome home.”

Ruby kissed the crown of her head, squeezing her with a strong grip. “Thanks. It’s good to be back again.” She pulled away and held Weiss out at arm’s length, smiling warmly at the mist blue eyes that gazed adoringly up at her. “Is Theo asleep?”

“Yeah and I was just about to –“

“Great!” She cut Weiss off, lunging forward to grab onto her wrist before pulling her through the house to their room. All the way up Weiss had remained silent, too stunned to inquire what Ruby was doing, but once the door to their room had closed and Ruby began to unlace her corset, she began to sputter uncontrollably.

“Ruby! What are you doing? I know you just got home but Theo could wake up at any moment now and…” She trailed off, face red and burning as her wife stripped herself of her long-sleeved shirt and her skirt next, her arms reached back as she began to work at the clasps of her bra. “Ruby!”

Said woman had just shrugged of her bra and sat on the bed to untie her boots. However, she took a moment to scoff at her wife’s concerns, making an obvious show of rolling her eyes before returning to her task. “Oh relax. I just need you to rub my back.” She raised her head, a prominent pout on her lips as she batted her eyelashes and gave Weiss her best puppy eyes. “It hurts really bad.”

Weiss heaved a sigh of relief and walked over to the bed, motioning for Ruby to lie on her stomach as her heated face cooled down. “What happened? You didn’t do something stupid did you?”

“Of course not!” Ruby protested as she flipped onto her front and settled her head on top of her crossed arms. “I…I just keep forgetting I’m not fifteen anymore. My body doesn’t move the way it used to.”

“Ruby you’re twenty-eight, not forty.” Weiss crawled onto the bed straddling Ruby’s hips and sitting on the back of her thighs as she began to rub her hands over her back, kneading her fingers and knuckles in the particularly tense spots. Her wife shifted and sighed underneath her, closing her eyes in bliss as the tension began to lift from her body as Weiss’ hands worked.

“Yeah but I’m closer to forty than I am fifteen.”

Weiss rolled her eyes and paused to lean down and peck Ruby’s shoulder. “Well I’m two years older than you. So by saying that you’re old are you implying I am as well?”

Ruby smiled sleepily, sinking further into the mattress as the heiress’ soft hands glided across her back, digging into just the right areas and making the pain disappear within moments. She felt her muscles loosen and her body felt heavier and heavier with each passing second and soon enough her eyes drooped closed and refused to open.

“You came to your own conclusion on that one.”

“Yet you aren’t denying it.”

An unnecessarily loud yawn came from the huntress. “Details.”

Weiss chuckled at Ruby’s tired and bleary state and leaned down to trail kisses between her shoulder blades when the door behind them creaked open. She whipped around to see a mop of white hair peeking into the room, tiny fists rubbing at sleep-filled eyes. Clutched to chest was his stuffed octopus that Ruby had gotten for him upon her return from one of her hunts, the button eyes loose and patches of thinning material from how much he slept with it and dragged it around. Sliding off of Ruby, Weiss sat on the edge of the bed and held her arms open to him to which he immediately responded by padding across the floor, climbing onto her lap and snuggling into her chest. His unruly hair tickled her chest and she brought a hand up to smooth it down.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

He lifted his head and looked up at her with those familiar silver eyes, shining with the same intensity as her wife’s. “Mornin’, Mama.” He cast his glance to the side and all previous signs of his morning grogginess disappeared upon seeing Ruby lying on the bed, still topless and dozing. “Mommy!” He wriggled out of Weiss’ arms and jumped onto Ruby’s back with a bright smile and glistening eyes, prompting a pained hiss from her. Weiss reached over and plucked Theo off of her and placed him back in her lap.

“Theo! Be careful! Mommy’s back hurts.”

His face fell. “It hurt?”

Weiss sighed and kissed his forehead. She didn’t mean to shout; it was a jerk reaction that she could never get rid of it seemed. “Yes, Theo. It hurts.”

Without a word, Theo took his stuffed octopus and set it down on Ruby’s back, it’s threaded, crooked smile and loose button eyes staring back at him. He slid down from Weiss’ lap to the floor and pointed a stern finger at his toy. “Watch.” Then he turned around and ran out of the room on his short legs, leaving a chuckling Weiss and a disgruntled Ruby to themselves.

Ruby lifted her head and blinked. “What just happened?”

“Your son.”

She nodded and smiled. “So Little Man’s awake now?”

“It would seem that way.”

Little footsteps thudded to their room, Theo throwing open the door again as he ran to the bed, a box of band aids clutched tightly in his chubby hands. He climbed onto the bed, the box of band aids making this task slightly more difficult, and crawled over so that he sat next to Ruby. He pulled one of the band aids from the box, clumsily ripped it open and placed the band aid right in the middle of Ruby’s back before bending over to place a sloppy kiss right on top of it. Weiss watched all of this with an amused smile and Ruby could only blink as her son looked at her with such sad, silver eyes.

“Boo-boo better?”

A light, airy laughter left Ruby in a rush of air and she sat up to encase Theo in her arms, squeezing him tighter. “Yes, all better. Thanks buddy.”

Weiss smiled fondly at the two, watching as Theo wrapped his arms around Ruby’s side and buried his face into her chest…

“Ruby! Your shirt!”


	3. Puppy Kisses - Ladybug

“Hey, Blake?”

The loud cracks of trees boomed around her as they uprooted and fell to the forest floor, one-by-one, crashing into the soft soil with thundering grace. Leaves rustled as the wind blew through them on their way down, crunching once they landed, dried up and dead in a single instant. Animals scurried off into the distance, away from the commotion, running into non-existence. The red-hued sky melted, the clouds fell in pieces and the sun dropped below the fading horizon, ducking for cover. In the center of it all, the lost faunus boy, scraggly and dirty from hours of wandering, noticed none of the destruction around him as he continued to walk, hoping to come across some sort of path.

“Blake?”

However, as it were, he began to fade with the rest of the setting, completely disappearing when Blake shut her book with a sigh. She set it off to the side to address her leader who was swathed in her red cloak, gazing peculiarly at the faunus sitting on the foot of her bed from her spot on the floor. Her head was ducked down, eyes cast off to the side – her stance was apologetic, aware of the fact that she was interrupting Blake’s reading. Typically, Blake would be slightly agitated over being ripped from her story so suddenly, but after months of housing in the same dorm with an energetic fifteen-year-old and her equally boisterous elder sister, it was something she had to learn to come to terms with.

Something else that she’d come to terms with was how adorable her team leader could be. Blake had grown comfortable with all of the girls over the school year, but surprisingly enough the closest she grew to was their youngest member. They had spent a lot of time bonding over their love of books and soon came to find that they had other common interests as well.

“B-Blake?”

Said girl blinked and shook her head of her previous thoughts, directing her attention back to the fidgeting red girl on the floor in front of her. She had lifted her hand now, showing Blake her bashful face, colored a pretty pink. Silver eyes silently questioned her and Blake patted the bed in front of her crossed legs, motioning for Ruby to come sit with her. She obeyed and scrambled up from the floor to the bed, crawling into Blake’s lap. Blake’s eyes widened, not expecting that move, but not rejecting it either. She wrapped one arm around Ruby’s waist and raised the other to pet Ruby’s head.

“Yes, Ruby?”

Ruby perked at her name and lifted her head, teeth worrying her bottom lip as her eyes became downcast again. “Um, I was just wondering…what kind of faunus would I be?” Silver eyes looked up into bright gold, shining with hope and curiosity.

Blake frowned. “What kind of faunus you are isn’t based on your personality. It’s just something you’re born into.”

Shoulders clothed in red slumped and Blake felt the young girl deflate in her arms. “Right. Sorry. I was just curious. I didn’t mean to offend you. Sorry for the dumb question.” She shifted to move off Blake’s lap when the cat faunus girl tightened her grip, pulling her closer. She chuckled at the squeak that escaped the huntress’ mouth, resuming her petting.

“But, if anything, I’d definitely peg you for a puppy.”

“A puppy?”

Blake nodded. “Yes, a puppy. They’re always full of energy and curiosity, they’re undeniably adorable, and they love to cuddle and play.”

Ruby giggled and nuzzled her head into Blake’s chest. “You know what else puppies love?”

“What’s that?”

The mass of brunette hair lifted off her chest and in a rush soft lips were upon hers for a chaste kiss. Blake hardly had time to respond before the little red girl pulled away with a bright smile.

“They love giving kisses, too!”

 


	4. Down and Out - Bumbleby

_**{Nobody knows you; When you're down and out}** _

Double-checking that the door held fast to stop any straggler splicers from entering the decrepit little dress shop, Yang limped over to where Blake had settled herself down on a plush stool, torn and bleeding yellowed fluff. The dark-haired beauty was running her hands over the tears in her skirt, fingering the jagged snags and tugging on loose snares, her hands trembling and unsteady. Her golden eyes were dead focused on the trivial task, bottom lip worried beneath her sharp teeth, her red lipstick giving way to the darker red blood welling up from the cut.

She was busying herself with miniscule tasks to cope with the previous fight they had, something that one typically did having never been in the middle of a high stakes shooting match or never had held a gun as the barrel smoked, the bullet embedded in some poor bastard's skull.

She was taking it as well as anyone would in her position.

Yang plopped herself down on the floor next to Blake, taking a moment to catch her breath and wipe the dripping sweat from her brow, shooting concerned glances at her temporary partner every so often to see how the poor gal was holdin' up. Her hands had stopped trembling now, were steadier in their movements as she smoothed down the wrinkles in her skirt and the creases on her blouse. The blonde detective had to give the dame some credit; she recovered fast, which was just dandy 'cause they didn't have the time to stay here while she continued to gather her bearings over her first kill. Splicers were comin' and they needed to stock up again, patch up their cuts and bruises, and be on their way if they wanted to avoid picking another fight and actually get anything done for this case.

Reaching into her pocket Yang brought out a tin case and popped it open, fishing out one of her rolled cigarettes, sticking it between her teeth before replacing the case in her pocket. She brought her hands up to the cig, snapping her fingers to produce a flame, lighting the cig as well as catching Blake's attention, Gold eyes watched as Yang struggled to stand, doing her best to stay off the leg that got nicked by one of the lead splicers bullets, a still fresh but not deep cut in her thigh. She limped over to the counter, carelessly rummaging through boxes, hoping to find  _anything_  in this rundown store, ammo, EVE, something to replenish and patch up her wounds, but so far as she was finding were moth-eaten hats and dusty old gloves.

All the while Blake watched from her perch, hands clenching and unclenching, jaw taut and back stiff, unsure what to do as she had never had to recuperate after a fight. So she watched as the blonde detective continued to ransack the place, listened to her grunts and groans when she came up empty-handed and her "ooh"'s and "ah"'s when she found something that suited her fancy.

It was only when Yang was applying medical care to the wound on her leg that Blake decided to speak.

"Does it….does it get any easier?"

Yang froze in her task, lilac eyes lifting briefly to meet glowing golden ones before dropping back down to her lap, hands resuming their bandaging. Her lips pressed into a thin line and a crease formed on her brow as she played with Blake's question, thinking of the most appropriate thing to say that wasn't a lie.

"Well it depends on how you look at it, I guess. The way I see it," she tied off the bandage and picked up her pistol, snapping open the chamber and picking up the ammo she had found during her scrounging about, "them splicers…they ain't people no more. They gave that up long, long ago." She carefully dropped the bullets into the six slots of the chamber and sighed. "So does it get easier?" She snapped the pistol closed and spun the chamber around. "No I wouldn't say so, couldn't lie to a dame as pretty as you, after all. But what helps me through it sometimes is knowing…" She paused her, ducking her head to her chest. "Is knowing that every one of those bastards I shoot down…every single one of 'em brings me closer to the thing I'm lookin' for."

Blake blinked and straightened up. "What is it you're looking for?"

Yang didn't answer immediately, instead opting to stand up first and test out her injured leg, putting weight on it until she was comfortable standing normally. She turned her head to look out the shop window at the dark and dank open space of the abandoned mall outside, her eyes picking up small movements within the shadows.

"Somethin'…" Blake perked up again, tearing her eyes from the window back to her companion who grip had tightened on her gun and her other hand flickered with flames. "Somethin' that was taken from me…back when I was no more than a little girl."

She blamed it on the poor lighting - after all there wasn't any working electricity in the forgotten mall - but Blake thought she saw what looked like tears in Yang's eyes as she rushed the door, gun raised as a splicer came running at the noise that Yang had caused.

Blake grabbed her gun on her hip and ran after her, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so we're all clear, this happens BEFORE Down Here in Rapture. (If you haven't read that fic, would you kindly?)
> 
> But yeah here's another piece of my Bioshock AU that I haven't really touched in awhile. I got some prompts on tumblr and this was one of them.


	5. Take a Chance - Bumbleby

_**{I wanna dance with you; So take a chance}** _

The day was laid out as what would typically be considered a quiet day: No class interruptions, minimum gossip being spread, and above all, no one went out of their way to attempt to start a conversation with her. Blake briskly walked to the library, hugging her anatomy textbook to her chest and skillfully dodging the pathways of her more rambunctious peers. The hallways were filled with loud chatter and promises to meet up over the weekend or confirmations to attend the weekly high school party at so-and-so's house later that night. She ignored it all as she always did since even pretending to be listening would be out of place for someone of her social status. Instead she ducked into the safety of the silent library, heaving a great sigh of relief as the suffocating noise of the narrow hallways dissipated as the door slowly swung shut, shutting out all of that nonsense from her designated sanctuary.

With a brief nod directed towards the school librarian who responded with her own curt nod and small smile, she made a beeline for one of the study tables on the other side of the library, settling down into one of the hard-cushioned seats. The book that she previously clutched to her chest now lay open on the table in front of her, right in the middle of dizzying text that to anyone else would seem similar to a foreign language. Yet within seconds of sitting down, the dark-haired girl was already engrossed in it, leaning on her elbows and eyes skimming the page without so much as one second of hesitation.

However, she should've known that such peacefulness would be short-lived.

A loud slam startled her from her book trance and Blake jolted upright, golden eyes resting upon her only friend – if she could even call her that – Yang Xiao Long. The golden-haired beauty had stumbled upon her by chance – literally. It was a fuzzy night for the both of them, Yang because she was so hammered and Blake because everything was so crazy it went by in a blur. Yet despite their odd meeting, it sparked a bond between the two, one that no matter how much Yang insisted was present, Blake was a bit more hesitant to believe.

Getting over her initial shock, Blake returned to her book with a roll of her eyes and dryly said, "I'm surprised you were able to find this place."

"The library?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw Yang shrug and lean back, twisting her hair around her finger. "You say that like it's impossible to find. It's not exactly Cleopatra's tomb you know."

"I see you've been brushing up on history."

Yang flashed her a smile and leaned forward, trying to edge herself into Blake's field of vision. "Glad you noticed! It's so difficult to get your attention otherwise."

Blake quirked an eyebrow, even taking a moment to glance up from her book. "And just why would you want  _my_  attention?" She was at the bottom of the high school social pyramid, someone that not even the lowest would talk to (not that it wasn't what she wanted but still) and here was Yang, captain of the cheerleading squad, bright smiles and a pep in her step everywhere she went, leaving behind a trail of sunshine in her wake.

"Because I like you, silly!" She affectionately flicked Blake's forehead before turning to reach into her shoulder bag that sat on the floor, completely missing a flustered Blake recovering from her comment.

"So, uh…hey! I know this isn't really your thing, but I was wondering if you might wanna go check out this outdoor concert downtown. It's a pretty small-scale band – I think they're local – so there won't be a big crowd…" She trailed off and held out (or rather shoved) a flyer to Blake, only releasing once the brunette had a strong grip on the paper. Blake glanced over the colorful piece of paper, only taking time to read the large words that jumped out at her before sliding it back to Yang and returning to her book.

"I have studying to do, Yang."

Yang frowned and slid the flyer back insistently, trying her prize-winning smile again. "Oh c'mon, Blakey! It'll be fun! And if it's not, then I promise that we'll leave as soon as you start getting uncomfortable."

Without looking up from her book, Blake said, "I'm not the outgoing type and you know it."

"Yeah, well…I figured you'd say that," Yang admitted, stuffing the flyer back into her bag before turning back to her bookworm friend, mischievous smile in place. "But if you don't wanna do that…" She leaned over the desk, placing a hand on either side of Blake's textbook, capturing the brunette's attention effectively and keeping it by keeping her eye level with her chest. "We could always do…other things," she said, her words heavy with innuendo that she was sure Blake wouldn't miss.

Blake blinked and sighed, closing up her textbook and letting her hair fall to hide her blush. "What time's the concert?"

A loud piercing squeal was immediately shushed by a very irritated librarian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually something I wrote a year ago but exclusively posted on tumblr. So I figured I'd post it here now (finally).


	6. On the Run - White Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Weiss need to keep moving. Unfortunately they can't seem to agree on where.

_**{I don't know where I'm going; But I don't think I'm coming home}** _

"We're doing what?"

A few people close to them turned their heads at Weiss' outburst but soon decided that whatever the girl with white hair was throwing a tantrum over wasn't their concern and kept moving. The mall they were currently in was extra-crowded today and most of Weiss' shouting was drowned out or went unnoticed by most of the populace gathered there that day.

Ruby wished she could say the same. Currently she was leaned against a wall, a holographic map laid out before her as she swiped across the interface, bringing out different cities and their stats and general info, mentally storing the information away later when it came time to make a decision. She pulled the lollipop from her mouth with a wet  _pop_  and, without sparing a glance over at the heiress, said, "Leaving the city? I thought I said that clear enough."

"But  _why_?"

Ruby enlarged an image of a city a few miles away, probably an hour or so by transit, and scrolled through the stats bar that came up on her right. "We gotta keep moving if we wanna keep everyone off our backs. Staying in one place for too long makes it easy for them to track us down."

Weiss crossed her arms and huffed indignantly, puffing out her cheek. She had a good point, but she still wasn't quite sure she liked this idea of abandoning their current station and moving off to a whole new place entirely. "Can't we just…find somewhere else in the city?"

Ruby shook her head and swiped over to a new city, this one halfway across the country that would take 3 hours to get to by transit. "What part of "they will find us easily" are you not getting? We have to station ourselves somewhere entirely if we want to avoid being found. Hey, how does Asherah sound? Name doesn't really roll of the tongue but we might be able to hide there for a good few weeks."

"A few  _weeks_?"

Ruby blinked. "Duh. We can't stay in one place too long. C'mon, Weiss. There are cameras everywhere. They'll track us down in no time if we linger too long."

Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. "What was this place again?"

"Asherah. On the eastern end of the country. Figured that would be a good place to start."

The heiress bit the inside of her cheek and looked around the mall. "When do we leave?"

Ruby pressed a few things on the hologram, swiping away screens and opening up new ones before closing the interface entirely with a grin. "Two hours. Plenty of time to gather some supplies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a part of my Futurist (I still don't have a proper name for it) AU that none of you have seen yet. I got the prompt on tumblr and wrote up something real quick.


	7. Blackouts and Airplanes - Bumbleby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake is tired of it all and Yang is tired of feeling helpless. Based off a prompt I got on Tumblr "You can't protect me"

_**{Tough girl whose soul aches; Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking}** _

There were many times she had seen Blake visibly shaken and none of them were very easy on her. She was a strong girl that could fend for herself against any beast with the grace and ease of a typical skilled huntress. They had fought many battles together and it was never often that Yang would have to jump in to assist her partner when things got too tough.

But that was on the battlefield. And this, a simple outing together with just the two of them, a stroll down the sidewalk, was  _not_.

The brick was rough against her arms, the jagged and weathered stone nicking her exposed skin. Encased in her arms was her trembling partner on the brink of tears. The shadows of the alley hid them well, more so in Blake's case than Yang's. Her bright yellow hair was a beacon in the darkness, her likeness to fire making it more difficult to be shielded from the prying eye.

But Blake was different. She was one with the shadows, kin to the darkness. Her inky black hair mimicked the shadows of a child's nightmare, creeping at the edge of their vision as they struggled to sleep. If not for the shaky breath on her skin and the warm skin against hers, Yang wouldn't have been able to pick her out herself.

The chill of the night settled in but Yang was ignorant to it, her overactive body heat enough to keep the two warm. She just wished it was enough to stop the young girl's shaking.

"I hate this."

Yang winced; the words an arrow to her heart. The defeated crack in her voice rang through her head, echoing for what would be nights on end. She brought her hand to cradle Blake's head and stroked her hair.

"I know, baby."

"I  _hate_  this."

She squirmed in her arms but Yang tightened her grip, knowing what she was planning to do next. She'd only seen it once, but once had been enough. And she had sworn to herself that she would never witness it again.  _Ever_.

The squirming stopped and it was dead silent between them. Blake's ragged breathing came to a halt, her trembling died down. Her body weight came fast and hard, head dropping onto her chest and the rest sliding down the wall until Yang caught her in her grip, holding her even tighter than before.

"You can't protect me from everything."

The first few tears slipped from Yang's eyes and she rested her chin on Blake's shoulder. "And you have no idea how much I wish I could."

The faunus stiffened.

"But you  _can't_!"

Yang pulled back suddenly, her eyes red with anger. But not directed towards Blake, never at her. Just at  _all of this. This whole. Damn. Situation._

And they both knew that. But it didn't stop the shouting. Or the crying. And it did absolutely nothing to quell the pain for either party.

"And it  _hurts!_ It hurts so  _goddamn much_!"

Amber eyes flew open in fury, the frustration and sadness being channeled somewhere new. Yang knew that Blake wasn't angry at her either, but it didn't stop the guilt or hesitation when Blake's mouth curled into a scowl, her hands bunched into fists, her eyes burned with hellfire.

"It  _hurts?_  How…how do you think  _I_ feel in all of this? I never asked for  _any of this_! If you think you're in pain  _imagine what I feel right now_!" She took a step back, using the wall to support her and her arms to hold herself back. That, or hold herself together.

"The leers, the jokes, the taunts, the harassment…. _I'm sick of all of it!_ It's been going on for all of my life and I don't know how much I can take anymore! People see me as nothing more than an animal, a  _monster_  just because I don't look like them! Men think they can get away with harassing me or…or touching me because I'm some kind of _pet!_ I'm not allowed in certain restaurants or clubs or stores all because of these…these…these  _stupid fucking ears!"_

Her hands began to rise and Yang shot forward, yanking her wrists into a vice grip and away from the top of her head. She cradled them to her chest and more tears spilled over when she saw Blake struggle against her, trying to fight for the use of her hands again. Her heart began to shatter and her chest began to burn with the amount of self-control she was utilizing to not break down into a mess of broken sobs.

With Blake still struggling against her she pulled her into another hug, making sure to keep her hands trapped between their bodies. Once she was wrapped in Yang's arms again Blake's thrashing stopped and she went still, her breath low and short like gasps. Then they slid down to the ground together, the cold cement unforgiving on their knees. But it was nothing compared to the horrors they experienced outside of that alleyway, so they paid it no mind.

The minute she felt her shirt getting soaked Yang took a deep breath to calm herself.

"And  _this_ ….this is why it hurts Blake. Because it hurts  _you_  so much and I just…I hate seeing you this way. I hate watching you breakdown because of who you are and the fact that some people just can't understand that! I hate all of those people who make you feel this way, as if you're worthless when you are  _not_. Okay?  _You're not_. You're beautiful and fantastic and a kickass fighter and one of my favorite people in this entire world." She paused to kiss the top of the faunus' head, right between the cat ears perched there. "And that's why it hurts me so much to see how much these people get to you when they have absolutely no right. And I hate how…helpless I feel when I can't protect you from them all because goddammit Blake you don't deserve any of it!

"I love you. I love you so much and I just want you to know how much I care about you. And I want you to love yourself as much as I love you." She raised a gentle hand to caress the shell of one of Blake's cat ears, feeling the soft fur underneath her fingertips. "And I don't want to see you try and hurt yourself ever again, okay?"

Blake nodded and gripped Yang's shirt tighter. "I hate this."

Yang sighed and tucked her head beside Blake's, stroking her hair and rubbing circles on her back.

"I know, baby."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more angsty than usual but don't worry! The fluff shall return (soon).
> 
> I got this prompt on tumblr where someone would give me a ship and then a line and I would have to write a drabble. In this case I got "You can't protect me."
> 
> So this happened.
> 
> I have the firm headcanon that whenever Blake gets especially frustrated with her heritage/people harassing her she pulls on her ears. This kinda stems from my early Elemental Gelade obsession where Ren once tried to pull off her gelade (which would effectively kill her).
> 
> Yeah I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff.


	8. Lifeforms - Bumbleby

_**{From the beginning; Small lifeforms}** _

She noticed the twitch of her girlfriend's ears as she drummed her fingers on the kitchen table. She understood that the sound, while not particularly obnoxious or loud, must've been torturing the poor faunus girl just shaken awake from her nap. A steaming cup of coffee sat before her - a peace offering that Yang had prepared beforehand - untouched.

Blake  _really_  wasn't happy about being woken up. But Yang had decided that this was something they needed to discuss now before she chickened out. And it wasn't like this was something that would just go away if she avoided speaking about it out loud.

It didn't keep her from being nervous though.

"You, um….you haven't touched your coffee."

Blake sighed and she winced, knowing that she was only stalling for time at this point. She couldn't even pinpoint the reason why she was so nerve-wracked right now, but the bubbling feeling of self-inflicted impending doom still churned in her stomach, making her almost physically sick. She paused in her drumming and bit her lower lip. Or maybe that was the sickness she had heard about…

She shook her head, earning a curious glance from Blake. It was time to stop putting this off.

"Blake, I….I missed my period."

It seemed that waking her girlfriend right in the middle of her nap had come with some side effects such as slow comprehension. Amber eyes blinked at her lazily waiting for her to elaborate. The blonde took a deep breath.

"So I….took a pregnancy test."

This seemed to get through to the faunus, eyes now wide with attentiveness and back erect with surprise. Yang watched her girlfriend carefully, lilac eyes analyzing her every movement. So far she only seemed caught off guard, but she wasn't sure how she would react when she told her the next bit of news.

"It came out positive."

At this Blake leaned back, arms limp on the table as she processed the new information. All dregs of sleep now gone from her system, the cat faunus was staring at the mug of coffee her mind in a far off place as she ran over the current situation and implications that came with it. Yang sat in silence, allowing her to catch up on her own terms. Her fingers began drumming on the table again and from the corner of her eye she noticed the twitch of ears.

"So you're….?" Blake finally spoke.

Yang stopped her drumming and nodded her head. "Yeah."

When she said nothing else, Yang decided it was time to explain herself and send forth her proposition.

"Look," she said. "I know…I know we haven't really discussed having kids in the near future let alone  _now_. And I know that we're saving up money for your transition which is so important to you and a child could get in the way of that. So…we don't have to have this child if you don't want but I thought we could at least talk about it. Maybe we could come up with some options where we could both be happy and…" she trailed off here and let her hands fall to her lap.

"I don't want to sound selfish but…..I really don't want to get rid of it," she whispered.

The sound of wood scraping against the floor brought her attention to her girlfriend rising from her seat and walking around the table towards her, stooping low once she had reached her. Gentle hands reached up to cup her cheeks before pulling her down for a chaste kiss to the forehead.

"And we won't."

Yang blinked away the forming tears. "We won't?"

Blake shook her head with a smile, leaning up to place another chaste kiss, this time to her lips. "No. We won't."

Then they were both on the floor, Yang on top with her arms wrapped tightly around the faunus' neck, face buried in her shoulder.

Blake chuckled. "There will still be a lot to talk about, but I think we can manage to pull this off."

Yang grinned and pulled away from her shoulder, her blonde hair cascading down and framing both of their faces. "I love you."

Then she lowered herself down, placing a sweet kiss on Blake's lips who wrapped her arms around Yang's waist. "I love you, too," she said when they parted for air.

Yang rested her head on Blake's chest and listened to her heartbeat. Neither made a move to get up.

"I think…you'd make a great mom, Blake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little prompt I got on tumblr where one of them was supposed to do a pregnancy test. Originally I was going to go for a humor fic where drunk Yang took one and Blake would later point out that they couldn't physically have a child. But then I got the even better idea to have trans!Blake and have it more heartfelt.
> 
> (And I got this out just in time for the legalization of gay marriage! yaaaaaay :D)


	9. Can't Breathe - Bumbleby

_**{Better run, better run; Outrun my gun}** _

Since the very first introduction of Time, mankind has always sought a way to reverse it. The coveted ability to defy the laws of the universe in favor of travelling back to a fatal minute to choose the other path or that one euphoric moment to bask in the glory of its good-natured warmth forever was always in the back of everyone's minds, whether they admitted to it or were even aware of it or not.

Until now, Blake had never given it a thought.

Until now, she had never needed to.

As she sat outside her school, bundled tightly in a blanket seated in the back of an ambulance, her shirt crusted with blood and eyes weary with grief, staring at the asphalt with an expression one could only liken to an unseeing corpse, she wished for a way to turn back the clock, to undo what had been done, to reverse her mistakes and hope for a better outcome.

However, her mind was torn over which moment she should go back to. There were many that led her to this place, to this spot.

Perhaps she could go back to when she was a small child and refuse to befriend the neighbour's troubled kid. The one who hid behind sunglasses even on cloudy days, the one who showed no remorse for anyone's misfortunes, not even his own. She wanted to take back all the kind words she offered, all the gentle gestures she shared and instead treat him like the monster he was, the psychopath he would grow to be.

Or maybe instead she just need to go far back enough to where she had agreed to date him, in their early years of high school. Having been friends for so long she had naturally said yes, even if it may have been for all the wrong reasons. Her attraction to him was undeniable at the time, but now she saw there had been an underlying fear of what might have transpired had she said no. There may have been an ounce of pity that weighed on her decision as well, the quiet thought in the back of her mind of his inability to find anyone else with his harsh demeanor that no one seemed to understand but her.

But maybe….she only needed to go as far back as this morning.

" _Blake…why don't we just skip today?"_

Blake squeezed her eyes shut, the lump in her throat cutting off her air as she shoved down the sobs that wanted to rip out of her chest. Her eyes burned with tears and she pulled the blanket tighter, ignoring the EMT who asked if she was alright.

She should've said yes.

They should've just stayed home.

" _Yang you have that test in Government today! If you don't take it now you'll have to come back for exams!"_

It had made sense at the time. Yang was never concerned about her grades - she knew she was smart enough to get by in life. She believed that she had nothing to prove to some stuffy academic workers that sat and dictated the lives of minors as part of their careers. She was an intelligent young girl, but if not for someone to look after her, she probably would've ended up dropping out of school ages ago.

That was where Blake came in.

They had met near the end of their freshman year. It wasn't an orthodox meeting - Yang had been in detention and Blake was assisting the teacher with after school errands. The blonde had been the only one there, something she vehemently complained about because she hadn't even "thrown the first punch".

The teacher had stepped out for a few minutes to attend some faculty meeting, and Blake had stayed behind to finish sorting through their papers when Yang had struck up a conversation with her. The brunette had been reluctant at first, but quickly relented to the blonde's never ending charm and resilience.

They had become best friends after that day.

Blake's heart ached at the memory, set in such a simple time where their ignorance of the future blinded them.

Maybe she could go back to that moment and live in it forever. To escape the harsh reality of now and revel in Yang's glowing presence beyond the limits of time, to laugh and talk with her forever and more.

Somehow, Blake had convinced Yang to come to school anyway. They drove together, like they did everyday. Of course, with all the time spent arguing, they were a bit later than usual. Yang hadn't seemed to mind, but Blake was a bit more frazzled over her worry of Yang missing her test.

It was the least of her worries.

The halls were silent when they entered, something that seemed off initially but a fact easy to ignore as Yang continued to crack jokes and prodded her sides, making her giggle and laugh despite her supposing to be upset with her.

Tears rolled down Blake's cheeks, unable to hold them back any longer.

They hadn't made it very far down the hall when Adam made an appearance, briskly walking through the halls, his eyes crazed and wild. Blake had hesitated upon seeing him, a nervousness in her system freezing her in place. At this point it had been a year since their breakup, but she still found herself cowering under his heated gaze that intensified once she announced her relationship with Yang. As children Adam always had a rash way of acting out, something that followed him into early adulthood, and it always put Blake on edge with the knowledge that, despite all that had happened between them for the past year, he had done nothing about it.

She had expected an explosion, a fit of rage… _something_.

She didn't have to wait much longer.

Yang had noticed him walking down the hall too and reached down to intertwine their hands and whisper a word of soft encouragement. That was right about when he noticed the two of them.

Blake could remember the heavy weight of dread and the freezing fear that paralyzed her when those crazed eyes turned towards them, the rest of his body following as he faced them completely.

And revealed the gun he held in his hand.

The two girls had frozen in place, finally realizing the intensity of the dire situation at hand. Yang had squeezed her hand tighter but stepped forward slowly, discreetly, moving in front of Blake. She remembered wanting to pull her back, the words of protest stuck in her throat, frozen by the fear that kept her grounded.

Everything after that had been a blur, her fear addled mind unable to comprehend the words that Yang and Adam exchanged, only able to pick out the cautious and slow tone that Yang used, like someone coaxing a wild animal ready to spring, and Adam's harsher, louder voice shouting at the both of them.

Her eyes flicked away for a brief second, back to the front doors to judge the distance between them and the exit, wondering if they would be able to outrun a bullet.

And then a gunshot rang throughout the halls and the grip on her hand loosened as Yang fell to the ground like a rock.

Blake had watched with wide eyes as Yang fell onto her back, her mouth open in shock but no sound being uttered. She watched as the small red dot on her chest got bigger, spreading across the fabric and fanning out beneath her as the blood pooled on the linoleum floor.

She hadn't even given a second thought to Adam at that point, instead immediately dropping to her knees to cradle Yang to her chest, screaming her name between sobs and squeezing her, pinching her, slapping her gently to get her to respond.

Her own chest grew warm with the blood that dripped down on it, but she ignored it in favor of watching the life and light seep from Yang's eyes, shaking with fear….the fear of dying.

Yang shuddered underneath her, chest heaving as she struggled to stay alive, her breath wheezing in her chest.

" _B-Blake?"_

The EMT was coaxing her now, holding her steady as the emotional turmoil gripped her again, the sobs ripping from her chest as she recalled the events of the past hour.

" _Blake…I can't breathe…I can't breathe!"_

The police showed up shortly after, apprehending Adam who had made his way over to Blake and aimed the gun at her head to off her as well. But they were too late. By that point, Yang was already gone.

And now she was sitting here, crying as she relived that painful moment, watching from the corner of her eye as Ruby, Yang's little sister, was sobbing on the school steps, her hands pulling at her hair as her father and Weiss comforted her as well. Adam had been taken to the station awhile ago, but Blake remained bitter that the one who had caused her so much pain was sitting safely in a jail cell while the one she loved more than the world itself was wrapped up in a body bag.

All her life, Blake had never thought of going back to undo what cannot be undone.

But now, drowning in her grief, it was all that was on her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another prompt I got a tumblr. It was part of an angst masterlist with little phrases. This one was "I can't breathe"
> 
> I want you all to know I hate myself for writing this. I really do. So if you hate me for it I 100% understand and agree with you.
> 
> Also sorry if it gets a bit confusing. I tried something new with my style and I'm not sure I like it. Oh well. Trial and error.


	10. Mark of Rouge - Bumbleby

_{On the black and white of a chessboard; We met by chance}_

"Is reading  _really_  all you ever do?"

Blake raised a thin eyebrow, golden eyes raising above the top of her book for a brief moment before returning to the text. "You know the answer to that question, Yang."

Yang huffed and flipped onto her stomach, puffing out her cheeks as she stretched out across Blake's lap. This was a recent development: when they first met Blake wouldn't even let her on her bed let alone her lap. But things had changed during their partnership and the faunus girl was growing more and more comfortable around her, something that Yang was very glad for.

She shifted on top of Blake's thighs.  _Soft_.

"Well…yeah I know but still. Don't you ever mix things up? Change the routine?"

Blake pondered this for a short second. "Well, sometimes I read in the library…"

The blonde shook her head. "Not what I meant and you know it."

Her partner frowned and lowered her book to rest on her stomach, reaching down to flick Yang's forehead. The action did nothing to deter the girl however, still stubbornly waiting for her answer with puffed cheeks and narrowed eyes.

"Is it really so  _wrong_  that I like to read?"

"Not at all!" Yang quickly said, sitting up onto her knees. "It's just…well you do it all the time! Why not try something different for a change?"

There was a brief pause as the brunette seemed to think over her suggestion, the tilting scales behind her curious eyes wobbling dangerously as she carefully weighed her options per Yang's suggestion. The blonde leaned closer, practically in the girl's face as she loomed over the forgotten book on her lap, lilac eyes urging her towards the decision she wanted to hear.

Unfortunately Blake began to shake her head, pushing Yang away to lift her book back up to continue reading. "No. It's at a really good part right now."

Yang audibly groaned, falling back onto her heels with an air of defeat weighing her down. She knew her partner was stubborn and reclusive at times, but this was just ridiculous.

Acting fast, she lunged forward and snatched the book from Blake's hands, holding it high above her head letting the tome hang behind her. This gained the bookworm's attention immediately, golden eyes wide in shock before narrowing in irritation and borderline anger as she lashed out at Yang, curled fingers slashing at the girl's abdomen. Yang moved out of the way just in time, giggling at the frustrated growl sent her way.

"Give it back, Yang!"

"Mmmmmm….nope!" She moved it when Blake made a grab for it, laughing as the girl climbed on top of her in her desperate attempt to retrieve her stolen item. Knees dug into her thighs, fingers pressed into her shoulder as the other was outstretched towards the book that was just barely out of reach, ample breasts smothered her face…

Yang fell backwards in surprise, face red and burning. Unfortunately, her loss of balance triggered Blake's own downfall, sending them both tumbling back to the sheets, the bed bouncing under their sudden weight. Noticing that Blake's chest was  _still_  too close for comfort, Yang used her hand on the girl's waist to steady her as she wriggled out of their current position until they were face to face.

By this point Blake had stopped her attempts to retrieve her book, noticing the situation at hand as well as she stared at Yang mortified. The two locked eyes, so close they could each see past them to the inner workings of their soul, the pain from their pasts visible at this proximity, broken by the light of their never-ending hope, happiness, and perseverance to right their wrongs and be the best they could be.

Yang could see the crying little child, face smeared with dirt and blood, pressing her ears close to her head in fear, concealing them as she hid who she was from those who might prosecute her for it.

Blake could see the lost little girl shaking and scared, walking blindly in the dark with no form of guidance, a swath of red cloth following close in her wake, their hands joined as she whispered shaky reassurances that she didn't believe herself.

They could each see what the other hid so well from the world, gold and purple betraying their best kept secrets, their sudden intimacy unlocking them from a place where no keyhole existed.

They both looked on into the depths of their very being, gaze unwavering and breath steady, neither moving from their position, neither fleeing from the dark memories coming to light in their contact.

And this - they both knew - was why they were partners.

Without breaking their eye contact, Blake lowered her head towards Yang's, resting her forehead against the blonde's. Yang reached up to tuck some of Blake's hair behind her ear but kept her hand up there, palm gently cupping the faunus' cheek.

The book lay on the ground beside them, forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been awhile and I feel absolutely awful about not uploading as often as I promised. Unfortunately, I can't say I'm back to upload every Friday again like I want to but I'll still try to get the occasional fic up.
> 
> But yeah, I'm going to give you the age old excuse: I'm super busy with college. I've heard it a million times and now it is time for me to use it myself. I'm deeply sorry and I'm going to try my best to write more fics. I'm hoping that once volume 3 comes out my drive will be sparked but until then, I'm just too exhausted.
> 
> Plus, I've been trying to start up a small business and find a job so...yeah. Like I said, no promises on constant fics again.
> 
> In fact, most of my uploads are going to be fics I've already posted that are on tumblr so if you follow me there you may have already read this. But I thought I'd upload it anyway because it's easier to access this way and I feel better about not posting anything at all.
> 
> But yes, so sorry I've been absent. I'll try harder but don't expect anything too soon.


	11. Do it for the vine - Bumbleby

**_{You can come to my hotel; You could bring me a friend}_ **

"So what am I doing again?"

Yang finished tying the knot on the end of the rope and handed Blake the other end. "You have the honorable privilege to pull the skateboard across the floor while I stand on it."

Blake took the rope with a raised eyebrow, using both hands to tug it to test its sturdiness. "This seems like a rather tame stunt compared to your others."

Golden laughter rang throughout the air as Yang set the skateboard down gently on the floor just across from her on the other side of the room. "No stunts today, Belladonna! Just skateboard!"

"And a rope?"

"And a rope."

The brunette sighed and let the rope fall to her lap as Yang set herself up on the skateboard, positioning herself just so that she wouldn't fall off and unintentionally injure herself. (Not that she hadn't done so before many times before.)

"Okay so you're just gonna pull it at a steady pace once I give you the cue."

"And what's the cue?"

"When the music starts playing. Don't worry, I'll help you out with a little kickstart so you won't have to pull so hard."

Blake rolled her eyes but complied, knowing that this was at least ten times better than the weekly dumb stunts that Yang liked to pull off for the sake of gaining views from people amazed at the absurdity of them. Then again she still felt a little silly agreeing to something as mediocre as this, compared to the many times before where she had her thumb hovering over the button to dial 9-1-1 in case Yang  _really_  screwed up.

But on the other hand, no trip to the hospital this week. So that was a plus.

"Okay! Here we go!"

Yang pressed a button on the remote in her hand and immediately blaring techno beats with heavy bass blasted from her mp3 dock. Giving herself a gentle nudge Yang began to slide across the floor. Blake took that as her cue to start pulling and gently tugged on the rope to keep it at a steady pace as it crossed the view of the camera.

Once Yang was within inches of entering the frame she looked towards the camera and began to gyrate her hips, arching her back as she puffed out her chest and gave the camera what was a mix between sexy and struggling not to burst out into laughter.

She looked like an absolute fool, but Blake wouldn't deny that her circling hips were just a  _tad_  tempting.

So caught up in watching Yang dancing on the skateboard, Blake didn't register how close the blonde was getting until she was too close. She was still pulling on the rope and pulled Yang right into where she was sitting. The skateboard caught on her knees, stopping abruptly and slipping out from beneath Yang, shooting off across the room where it hit the opposite wall. The rope was yanked painfully from Blake's hands, burning her palms, although that was certainly the least of her worries.

Unable to stop her momentum, Yang had fallen forward on top of Blake and over her shoulder, twisting herself drastically in an attempt to catch her balance and avoid falling on top of her. With a cry she fell to the ground anyway, flipping over Blake's shoulder to the hardwood floor behind her.

Wide-eyed Blake turned around to see Yang splayed out behind her, groaning in pain.

"Jeez, Yang! Are you okay?"

"Did we get the shot?"

Blake sighed. She always asked that after stunts and refused to offer up her own physical status until it was answered. A quick glance to the camera showed that it was indeed recording.

"Yes, Yang. We got it."

"Great. Because I think I sprained my ankle."

Blake sighed again before moving forward to help Yang sit up and prompting her to lift her foot to her lap so she could examine it. After a few prods and resulting hisses of pain she pursed her lips and nodded.

"Well it's already swelling." She ran a hand through her hair. "I'll help you to my car."

"Get the camera so I can watch it!"

"Yes, yes."

So much for avoiding the hospital this week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a prompt I got on tumblr from a friend I had been recently discussing a viner AU with. What Yang did in this fic was based off one of my favorite vines which you can find here: vine.co/v/eavqtPMt35q
> 
> I wanted to get a fic out in time for the RWBY premiere but I've been so swamped with stuff this week that I've barely had time to write and am actually only halfway done with the fic I'm working on currently. So hopefully that'll be out in the next two weeks. Next week, however, I do plan on uploading something for Halloween, so keep on the lookout for that (I make no promises though).


	12. Sweet Life - Strawberry Sunrise

_**{I got all I need when I got you and I; I look around me, and see a sweet life}** _

The occasional sharp  _snip_  of scissors accompanied a soft, lilting hum that permeated the afternoon sunlight bathed room. The glint of sunlight hitting the metal of the blade reflected in the mirror, dancing across the placid surface as they moved around and about, occasionally ducking out of sight into the mess of brunette hair.

Fidgeting fingers gripped the edge of the cushioned wooden chair, drumming an off-tune beat that failed to match the tempo and tune of the hummed song. Booted toes knocked against each other in barely contained anxiousness and pearly white teeth worried the fragile skin of the bottom lip. It was awful, unbearable to be kept sitting still for such a lengthy period of time and Ruby could feel the build-up of energy inside of her, urging her to twitch and twiddle as she continued to bide her time until she was free.

"Ruby you can't move so much!"

"I'm  _trying_!"

"Well try  _harder_."

Ruby sighed then took a deep breath and held it, counting down the seconds as she felt fingers run through her hair just before she heard the  _snip_   _snip_  of the scissors once more. With it she let out the breath she was holding, puffing her cheeks at the laugh that sounded behind her and frowning at the uncontained mirth on her elder sister's face in the mirror.

"What? I listened, didn't I?"

Yang locked eyes with her in the mirror, her lilac eyes alight with the burst of flames that powered the sun, absolutely glowing in the afternoon light that washed over them both. "You are too adorable, Rubbles."

"Are you done yet?"

Yang offered a consolation smile, holding the scissors up high and snipping them together in clear view of the mirror. "Not just yet. Gotta make sure it's all even. Think you can sit still for another  _agonizing_  minute?"

Ruby put her finger to her chin pensively, kicking her legs underneath her as a jerk reaction to the mere  _thought_  of having to sit still even longer. "I still get strawberries after this?"

"There's a brand new pack in the fridge."

Without another word Ruby took a deep breath and held it with puffed cheeks, earning another laugh from her sister. Careful fingers threaded through the locks of her hair again, picking out sections to cut. Ruby felt the cool metal against her scalp as Yang twisted and angled the scissors to get the cut  _just right_ , feeling almost relaxed into stillness at the gentleness of Yang's touch and the attentiveness of her cut. Yang's hum picked up where she had left off and now Ruby found herself tapping along with the beat, the two working together in harmony.

A few seconds later Yang rose up with a brilliant grin and set the scissors down on the vanity in front of Ruby. She ran her hands through the short locks of her hair, shaking loose any strand hairs that may have not fallen before. Once she was finished she removed the bedsheet from around her sister who had once more began to fidget, balling it up and placing it next to the door to shake outside later.

"Alright! All done! Whatcha think, Rubes?"

Silver eyes locked on the mirror as she pivoted and turned, trying her best to see her new haircut from every angle she could. Small hands raised to run through it, feeling the softness on her fingertips and relishing how little time it took to run from root to tip. It was short and light and she felt unhindered and freer.

It was about a minute before she could tear her gaze away from her hair to look at Yang. Ruby threw her arms around her sister, nearly jumping on her in the midst of her excitement. "I love it! Thank you so much, Yang!"

Yang smiled before reaching up to ruffle her hand through Ruby's hair, her eyes holding a bit of distant sadness. "I'm gonna kinda miss how pretty and long it was, but this suits you just fine too."

Ruby smiled brighter, a fond twinkle in her eyes. "And it's just like how Mom's used to be."

"Yeah," Yang muttered. "It is." Her hand fell from Ruby's hair so that she could wrap her arms around her little sister, embracing her softly but firmly. Ruby returned the hug with vigor and the two sisters stood there, hugging with the falling sun shining its light on them.

Their embrace was broken when Ruby pulled away, a devilish grin on her lips. "You know, I could always return the favor if you want."

Lilac eyes widened and Yang pulled abruptly away, jumping back a solid two feet. Her hands raised to protectively clutch her own hair, the bright golden locks that cascaded down the length of her back and touched the top of her thighs.

"You touch my hair, you  _die_."

With her amazing speed Ruby snatched the scissors off the vanity, holding them up menacingly as she closed in on Yang, the ever-present fear growing stronger on her face.

"Ruby?  _Ruby, no get those away from me!_ "

Ruby lunged forward and Yang darted away with a shriek, her hands still clutching her hair as Ruby chased her around the room, her laughter carrying out the open window into the remainder of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Episode 6 fucking wrecked me and I'm still not over it.
> 
> Originally this was gonna be part of a thing where Yang does something for each of the girls and then they all comfort her after her incident with Mercury but I ended up liking this too much on its own. So I'll figure something else out for that other thing.
> 
> I dunno. I kinda like the idea that Ruby let her hair grow out and then wanted to cut it to be more like Summer. (Also long hair is a bitch seriously I'm with ya Rubes.)


	13. Cats don't dance but they sure as hell cheat - Bumbleby

_**{So you wanna fight me; Well you said you want to fight me?}** _

It was a scorcher on the island of Patch that mid-summer day, so much so that one couldn't even step out of their door without breaking out into a sweat. Many people with sense decided to call it a day in, eating popsicles and blasting their A/C cold enough to rival the mountain caps in Atlas. It was a lazy sort of day, the heat haze making the entire island sluggish and reluctant to do work.

So naturally for Yang it was a perfect day to get an outside workout.

Given that her dad was a teacher at Signal and his own two daughters huntresses-in-training, they had a decked out backyard dedicated solely to training. There was a shooting range off to the far left, a small area for weight lifting covered by a small awning, and a mile track that ran along the outer edges.

But the most prominent part of the backyard was the large sparring ground placed smack in the center, grass paved over with light-colored concrete and the actual platform made of a sturdy stone raised a few inches above the ground.

And this is where she stood across her partner, sweat rolling down the curve of her neck as they squared off on each other.

She had initially tried to convince Ruby to spar with her, but her little sister had insisted on staying inside to work on upgrading Crescent Rose with the new materials that their uncle Qrow had brought home. Lucky for her though her partner stepped up, offering to take Ruby's place.

Blake had been staying with them at their home this summer, without a home to go to to wait out the summer break until the school reopened. Yang had offered up their place of residence immediately and, despite her reluctance and fears of intrusion, Blake had accepted with no other place to go.

"So are you just gonna stand there or are we going to start?"

Yang smirked and rolled her shoulders. "Just waiting for you, kitty cat."

Golden eyes narrowed at her. "Don't call me that."

"What's the matter, kitty cat? Can't handle the heat?"

Something snapped and Blake lunged forward, coming at Yang with a wide swing of her wooden staff. It was easy to block such an open offense; just a simple flick of her wrist brought her own staff into the path of Blake's swing, halting it abruptly with a loud _crack_.

Not sparing a second, Blake pushed off of Yang's staff, spinning around with a kick aimed to Yang's side. The blonde jumped out of the way before lifting her staff and bringing it down on Blake's head. However she failed to make contact when Blake flipped out of the way, using the ongoing momentum from her kick to carry her into a backflip, landing softly on one foot. Immediately she dove into another lunge, both hands gripping her pole staff and bringing it sharply around to catch Yang in the side.

With Yang briefly knocked off balance, Blake dove for another attack, dropping her staff to sweep Yang's legs from underneath her. Still dazed from getting hit in the side Yang fell hard onto her back, but rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the staff coming towards her head. Now a safe distance from her partner, she gave a short, breathless laugh.

"Kitty cat's got claws!"

She steeled herself for Blake's next attack as the faunus ran at her, teeth bared and brow weighed down with sweat. She ducked with the staff came swinging for her head, taking advantage of the opening Blake left her, jutting out her hands and pushing Blake back by her stomach. A wheeze left the girl's mouth as she doubled over and Yang lunged at her sideways, knocking into her body with her shoulder and knocking her even further back.

Stunned from her last blow, Blake was unable to dodge Yang's next attack, a swift kick to the head. However she did have enough mind to raise her staff and block it, the crook of Yang's ankle catching on the pole and halting it.

Not discouraged in the slightest, Yang used her own staff to hook behind the back of Blake's right knee, jerking it forward and causing Blake to dangerously lean back. She finished the job by pushing her foot forward past the staff, the flat of her heel pressing into the top of Blake's chest. Bringing her leg down she pushed Blake to her back, the faunus felt with a grunt.

Taking this opportunity, Yang dropped down and straddled her opponent, pressing her staff gently but firmly against her throat.

"Has Kitty Cat gone soft?"

Burning gold eyes snapped open to glare at her arms immobilized with Yang's knees digging into her shoulders. "Don't get too cocky now. I haven't tapped out yet."

"Do you have much of an option at this point?"

She didn't answer, instead taking a deep breath that was slightly hindered by Yang's full weight being rested upon her chest. Yang smirked, thinking her point had been proven and leaned back, waiting smugly for Blake's admittance of defeat.

She sat there awhile, waiting patiently as Blake defiantly stared up at her, wriggling her arms and attempting to jerk Yang off of her. But Yang held steady, a rock against an oncoming storm, unmovable and sturdy.

Finally Blake dropped her head back and groaned, eyes closing as she relaxed completely, body spelling out surrender where her mouth wouldn't. She was getting close, Yang could feel it deep within. It was a matter of moments before Yang was announced the victor of their little match and the gloating would begin.

Blake opened her mouth then and Yang leaned forward in anticipation of the words she was waiting for, the cries for mercy, the grumbles of defeat, anything, anything would be good at this point.

The whine that stretched out in the air instead was….certainly unexpected.

Surprised Yang leaned back a bit, caught off guard slightly. Knowing better to let up her grip through she pressed forward again, about to make some wise crack comment when Blake turned her head towards one of Blake's knees.

That was right about when Yang's butt started to vibrate.

It was an odd feeling at first, and one that definitely confused her because she couldn't pinpoint what was causing it. Not until she heard the rumbling coming from her partner's throat.

She was purring.

 _Purring_.

Now definitely caught off guard, Yang started to sit up to question just what the _heck_ was going on, when Blake shifted suddenly, ankles coming up and around her throat and crossing together. Yang could barely get out a shout as Blake jerked her legs down and twisted so that Yang landed on her stomach. Her staff was violently ripped from her hands before they were pinned painfully against her back, Blake choosing to sit on them while wrapping her staff around her throat, pulling back to raise Yang's head ever so slightly so that was was in an entirely uncomfortable position.

Yang opened her mouth to voice the unfairness of the whole situation and how she had totally _cheated_ but with the staff pressed against her throat nothing much more than a strangled cry came from her lips.

"What's wrong, Yang? Kitty cat's got your tongue?"

Next time she was sparring with Ruby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been awhile. Between work, school, and just life in general I've found the urge to write very lacking. In fact, this isn't even anything new. I'm just posting this from tumblr since I haven't done that yet.
> 
> But hopefully I'll get back in the game soon. We'll see, considering I still have class, work, and now my addiction to playing Overwatch (which, btw, there will be upcoming fics for that as well).
> 
> Normally this is the part where I'd press you guys to contribute to donate to my patreon for future early access to content, but you and I both know that you're just going to ignore me. And I can't even be mad about it because I don't post all that often anyway. So yeah.


	14. The One that makes me Laugh - Mechanical Rose

_**{Show me how you do it and I promise you; I promise that I'll run away with you}** _

_One...two...step-_

A pained squeak interrupted her concentration and she flinched, hopping backwards. Silver eyes looked at her in mild alarm and before she could begin to spew her apologies a mirthful grin tugged at pretty pink lips (Summer Splash Strawberry, if she remembered correctly).

"It's okay, Penny. You don't have to look like you shot a puppy every time you stumble a bit." Hands reached out to grasp hers, soft flesh pressing into her unyielding metallic hands (she wondered briefly what it would be like if they met flesh instead). She was pulled forward and she took a cautious step forward, green eyes glued to her feet to ensure they would not tread upon Ruby's.

"It wouldn't be teaching," Ruby continued, "if you didn't mess up a little."

Penny blinked and said nothing as Ruby placed her hands in the correct places again. The music in the background drawled on, a slow tune that Ruby had put on to guide them through the steps. The gentle patter of rain against the window pane added a soothing background noise to the track, the static of rainfall complementing the lazy notes lilting, suspended in the air around them. The space they stood in was cleared for them to spin around in circles, a dizzying task in concept but with the pace the music set for them it was not as disorienting as it sounded.

Penny felt the gentle press to her side and she yielded, allowing herself to be guided into the steps again, taking extra precaution to be careful where she put her foot…

"Ah!"

The redhead winced and made to move away again, but Ruby was unrelenting in her hold on her and Penny was forced to stay in their embrace.

Penny frowned, disgruntled. "Why are you so set on teaching me to dance Ruby?" She was built to fight, to win, to save the world. Not that she didn't enjoy spending time with the brunette - she did, really. It was the only thing lately that made her feel warm inside.

Some would say "fuzzy", even.

"I just thought it would be something fun to do," she replied. But something in her voice offered another story. Penny wanted to pry, her abundance of curiosity practically begged her to, but she withheld it for now. If her friend, Ruby, wanted to tell her, she would have done so.

"Fun," she repeated, an underlying thoughtfulness painting the monosyllable word. Her friend gave no other response save for another hum, leaving Penny to further test the word in her head, on her tongue. She repeated it again and again, the word growing curiouser with each utterance.

Soon enough a smile of her own crept onto her face and she wrapped her arms around Ruby, their steps never faltering as she squeezed.

"I enjoy having fun with my friend, Ruby!"

Once her grip on the small girl relented enough for her to lift her head, sparkling orbs of silver turned up to gaze at her, a million smiles in them directed at her, flashes of white light blinding her. It was a strange but welcome sight and her own grin grew and neither girl even realized that the music had faded out to silence.

Their smiles never waned, their steps never faltered, their feet never stumbled.

Not once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I wrote a little while ago for a friend of mine who really likes Mechanical Rose.
> 
> I don't really have much to say 'cause it's mostly just a drabble and I wrote this MONTHS ago.


End file.
